Steering apparatus for vessels



J. GORMAN.

Patented Nov. 9, 1880 Steering Apparatus for Vessels.

Fig.1

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GORMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 234,180, dated November 9, 1880.

Application filed October 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN GORMAN, of the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and Improved Steering Apparatus for Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part hereof.

The nature of my invention will fully appear from the following specification and claim.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use it, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my device; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of a vessel, showing the application of my device thereto; Fig. 3, an enlarged detached view of one of the threaded traveling boxes, showing the double-acting diamond -screw and the groove for traveling box in cross-section, also showing one of the rods broken off.

A is the deck of a vessel to which my apparatus is attached; B, the keel; B, the sternpost; 0, the rudder, and G the rudder-post. D is the messenger-chain passing from my apparatus to the pilot-box. E F are leading blocks or pulleys; G, the messenger-wheel or chainpinion, receiving and operated by the messenger-chain; H J, beveled cogs, H being upon the shaft of the messenger-wheel G, and J having upon its shaft the worm K. L is a wormwheel engaging with a worm, K; I, a simple standard or block for sustaining the ends of the shafts of the cogs H and J.

The worm-wheel L is set upon the end of the double acting diamond screw M M. This screw M M is in one piece, the two letters being used to indicate the two different directions of the screw-thread.

N O are threaded blocks engaging with the respective threads M M of the screw, so that by the turning of this screw they are made to travel in opposite directions. I shall hereinafter call them travelers. N, a connecting rod or bar pivoted at one end to the traveler N, and at the other pivoted by a spring-joint to one end of the rudder lever or bar T. O is a similar but longer bar pivoted to traveler O at one end and at the other pivoted to the re maining end of bar T in the same manner in which rod N is secured thereto.

P is a metal band secured to the end of bar T, and has upwardly-projeeting cars at its extremities, through which ears are loosely passed the outwardly-projecting ends of bar Q. Bar Q is considerably longer than the band P, and its ends project through the ears of the band at both ends of the band. It is heavy at the middle, and it is to this middle part that the end of bar or rod N is pivoted. Two spiral springs, S and S, are set upon this rod or bar Q, between the thickened part of the bar and the ears, one spring upon each side. The parts P Q S S constitute the pivoted spring-joint by which the end of rod N is joined to one end of the rudder-lever T. The parts P, Q, R, and R make a similar pivoted joint at the other end of bar T for the rod 0.

Tis the rudder-lever, or tiller, into which the upper end of the rudder-bar O is rigidly and firmly set, so that any movement of the bar or lever T will turn the rudder.

U is a projection or tongue from the lower part of the traveler 0, (also from N,) fitting into the groove of the base-bar V. Its office is not only to guide the traveler O in a direct course backward and forward, but also to hold the traveler in position so as to take any lateral strain (caused by the rod 0 pulling upon the traveler) from the long screw M M.

The operation is as follows: The endless chain D connects with the wheel in the pilotbox and passes around the messenger-wheel G. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the action of the ..pilots wheel upon such a chain. By means of this chain the pilot can turn the wheel G either in one direction or the other. By turning this wheel in one direction the screw M M is acted upon through the cogs H J and worm K and worm-wheel L, and by its differential threads the blocks N O are moved apart, thus drawingforward the upper end (in the drawings) of lever T and pushing back its lower end. As the lever T acts as a tiller upon the rudder, it is evident that the rudder will be so shifted by this action as to steer the ship to starboard. Now if, on the contrary, the messenger-wheel G is turned by the pilot in such a direction that the action of the dif- IOC ferential screw M M is to draw the threaded blocks N 0 closer together, then the tendency will he to steer the vessel to port. This is the operation of my device simply.

It is well known that it a rudder is held rigidly by a steering mechanism it is very apt to be broken when struck by a heavy sea. It is also a great defect of the present hand steering devices that if a heavy sea strikes the rudder full the latter is thrown violently to one side, and, instead of the pilots wheel operating the rudder, a reverse action takes place. The rudder, acting through the chains, v1olently and rapidly revolves the pilots wheel, and the steersman maybe thus seriously hurt at a critical moment and the ship seriously endangered before the accident could be rectifled or even discovered. It is a deslderatum, therefore, to lock the rudder at whatever point it is set by the steersman, and this should be done in such a manner that the rudder shall give a little by way of springing upon receiving a blow from a heavy sea. My spring joints allow a slight spring to the rudder and its lever T, and it is impossible that any force actingupon the ruddercan be transmitted through the threaded blocks and the worm-wheel L and Worm K to the pilots wheel and chain. Even if such a force were able to drive the blocks i O N along the screw so as to turn the latter, I the union of this mechanism with the worml wheel and worm will prevent such acatast rophe i and effectually lock the rudder in any position in which it is set, even if the pilotwheel were i abandoned, while at the same time the trans- 1 mission of force from the pilot-wheel to the rudder is easy of accomplishment.

The mechanism as shown in the drawings would work a rudder very slowly; but any skilled mechanic can easily make the motion as rapid as desired by changing the relative sizes of the cogsJ H of messenger G, or by decreasing the amount of spiral of the screw M M or worm K.

If desired, the cog-wheels H J may be dispensed with and the messenger-wheel G may be put in the place and position of the cog J, in which case there should be two more leadin g-blocks, E F, at about the present position of the messenger-wheei, to turn the chain toward the new position of this wheel, or the shaft, turned by the messenger-wheel in its new position, could he carried out close to the side of the vessel, and the chains might be carried direct to the messenger-wheel along the side of the ship without having to turn any corners, as it now does at E F.

Having thus described my invention,whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

ln combination with the rudder and rudderpost of a vessel. the lever T,bars N 0, doubleacting right-and-left screw M M, threaded blocks 0, worm K and worm-wheel L, and spring-joints P Q S S, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose described.

JOHN GORMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. H. PRICE, WM. H. CARSON. 

